One Year Ago Today...

Clouds Over New York
Originally uploaded by summerpierre.

Today is the one year anniversary of me MOVING TO NEW YORK and shacking up with Graham. Hallelujah! It has been quite an unbelievable year. Usually, the first year anywhere totally blows, and I've had my down moments, but on all honesty I can say that my first year in New York has been overall REALLY FANTASTIC. It's been an incredible year of change, looking outside the box, and serious GROWTH.

On the way to work this morning, I was thinking about what my first impressions were of actually living here. I was thinking about the 10:00pm taxi drive, getting lost, and looking out at the warm, black night. I've made that drive a number of times since then, but it isn't the same drive. What I passed on that first night was totally alien. Now, it is all familiar. I remember how we met up with our super, Tony, who let us into an empty apartment. We ate ice cream and slept on the floor and watched Dirty Dancing on Graham's laptop. The floor was hard as a ROCK. I looked around the blank apartment and wondered, how would this ever be my home? And, of course, it is.

Highlights of the last year include: meeting the wonderful Felicia (my first New York friend--bless you!), going on tour for the first time in 5 years, playing shows, painting, meeting the illustration chair at SVA, playing in the subway, writing new songs for the first time in 3 years, being taken out to the Boathouse by my wonderful friends and co-workers, adopting a cat, meeting Erica Jong & Patti Smith, taking a class by Lynda Barry, sketchcrawls with Danny Gregory, meeting the inspiring Beerhorsts, writing at the Alqonquin, reconnecting with my friends Nate and Michael, and so so much more.

I am amazed at what this last year has produced for me. I feel very changed, indeed. On a day like today, when the heat will reach up to over 100 degrees, and it's gross out, and the people are grumpy on the subway, it's easy to forget the magic that can occur here on a daily basis. But it's TRUE! I love this crazy crazy place and I am amazed with how quickly it has become home.